Aqua Rite SWG Not "Holding" Calibration

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Yes, I started it back up and the low flow light went out and Generating light came on. I let it run for 3 hours with pump shutting off at 0200. Woke up at 0700 and to my surprise the salt reading was 3100. Power and low flow lights were on. Turned on the pump and low flow light went off and generating light came on. If a normally operating unit has power and low flow lights on when pump is off, then it appears to be working! I am anxious to see what lights are on when I get off work this evening...
 
Yes it appears to be working but previously, something obviously happened where it triggered the low salt light. It might have just been the salt level but let's see what it does going forward.
 
It still appears to be working. I woke up this morning, low flow and power lights are on, salt level reads 3000. Seriously weird. I have been thinking about what I did differently the last time I calibrated the SWG. I'm gonna throw this out there, let me know if you think this crazy. I have a Pentair Mobiletouch 2 wireless remote. I have been using that to turn the pump off and on after recalibrating the SWG. The last time I recalibrated the SWG (and it seems to have "stuck"), I didn't have the Mobiletouch 2 with me. So I used the panel to put the system in "service mode". I recalibrated the SWG while in service mode, and that's when it started working. Does that make sense?
 
I don't think the recalibration is really a recalibration. It is only resetting the average salt level and the alarm lights. So I don't know why that would matter.
 
Your wiring is obviously different than my aqua rite setup when you say you check it in the morning and the low flow and power light are on. Are u using the flow sensor only to stop the swg operation?
My aqua rite comes and off when the pump comes on and off

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The unit is wired wrong. It should only be receiving power when the pump is running. If you have a timer that turns the pump on, it should also supply the power to the SWG. If you have a VS pump controlled by an onboard timer, the SWG should be connected to a seperate timer that is set to turn it on only while the pump is running. The flow switch is a secondary safety device and should never be used as a primary power control.

Power supplied to a SWG cell when the pump is not running is a serious safety hazard. There have been several instances of SWG cells exploding in those circumstances. I think if you get it wired correctly, your problem will go away. You should also confirm that the flow switch is functioning. It is an important safety feature.
 

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Yeah, I have Intellitouch. As far as "how is everything wired" I'm not sure what you mean. I have a handheld unit that turns on pump, spa, heater and pool cleaner. The SWG is not controlled by the handheld unit. When I turn on the pump, the low flow light on the aqua rite goes off and the generating light comes on. The power light is constantly on whether the pump is on or not... From what I understand from this thread is my system is wired wrong and the power light should not be constantly on. Even if I use the aqua rite control board switch and more it to Off, the power light is on. This is my first pool and aqua rite system. So, I didn't know what lights should be on or off...
 
With Intellitouch, an Intellichlor would have been a good choice.

If your pump is a single speed, wire the aquarite power from the load side of the pump relay.

It's also likely that the IntelliTouch can control the AquaRite (assuming compatible software revisions in each).

For control by IntelliTouch, wire power directly to AquaRite and the use the RS485 4-wire connectsor to connect the aquarite to the intellitouch. I think that the wiring is
1...4
2...3
3...2
4...1
Then enable control in the intellitouch control interface.

Verify software compatibility and wiring sequence before proceeding. See both manuals for more information.
 
All this stuff came with the house when I bought it 6 months ago. I am tempted to do research and try to do yhis. Would you recommend someone like me give this a shot? By that I mean someone whose electrical experience includes ceiling fans, etc. Or, should I hire someone? And should I call an electrician or a pool guy?
 
There should be a 4 wire RS485 communications plug on the main board of the AquaRite on the upper right of the board. They are little snap in plugs with 4 screws that you insert the wire into. See this picture:

https://idoneitmyself.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/img_1991.jpg

There should be (2) 4 wire communications plugs on the intellitouch board (labeled J7 and J8).

Run a 4 wire connector from the aquarite plug to one of the intellitouch plugs. Then activate in the control panel as shown in the manual. Wire 1-4, 2-3, 3-2 and 4-1.

Double check instructions with Pentair and Hayward to verify. Have software revision information handy.

Only you can decide if you are comfortable doing this, but I suspect that you can do it.

Pentair colors: 1 black,2 Green, 3 Yellow, 4 red

Hayward colors: 1 red, 2 black, 3 yellow, 4 green

https://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/AquaRite&AquaRiteXL.pdf

http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/intellitouchcontrolsysUG.pdf

http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/IntelliTouchOM.pdf

http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/LoadCenterIG.pdf

Alternatively, you can just wire the power to the AquaRite to the load side of the pump relay and control the AquaRite from the AquaRite box.

In any case, don’t do anything that you’re not comfortable doing.

If you want to post pictures as you proceed, that could help us better advise.
 
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